Recommended Age:
10
+
Ideal for independent readers who enjoy imaginative, suspenseful, and atmospheric fairy-tale-inspired adventures.
About the Book
When Hazel's best friend Jack suddenly changes—becoming cold and pulling away—and then disappears into the snowy woods, Hazel follows him into a fairy tale world drawn from Andersen's Snow Queen, determined to bring him back even as the magic of the forest tries to seduce her into staying. A lyrical, emotionally precise novel about childhood friendship, loss, and growing up. One of the most quietly beautiful middle-grade novels of recent decades.
Content Ratings
💡
Moderate Themes
The novel is a sustained meditation on the grief of losing a friendship, the terror of growing apart from someone one loves, the pain of being different and not quite fitting, and the courage required to follow someone into the dark to bring them back.
⚔️
No Violence
Magical forest dangers are transformative rather than violent; a character becomes cold and distant as a form of enchantment.
Engagement:
Genre:
Fantasy
Published:
2011
Page Count:
313
